FENWICK CHRISTMAS ADVERT

1971

Visitor Tabs

Description

A stop-motion animated advertisement for the Fenwick department store on Northumberland Street in Newcastle. Produced to promote their first Christmas display window in 1971, the films feature a number characters from the popular BBC children's television programmes Camberwick Green and Trumpton. The advert is narrated by John Le Mesurier.

The film open on the Fenwick logo on the roof of a recreation of the Fenwick department store on Northumberland Street in Newcastle. The camera pulls back to reveal snow falling and people walking past the store windows and making their way into the store. In the display window stand Mrs Honeyman, Peter Hazell the Postman, Windy Miller beside his windmill and Captain Snort and the cadets of Pippin Fort.

Inside the store animated customers walk past life-sized items including wrapped Christmas presents, cut wine glasses, a bottle champagne and a soda spritzer. In another part of the store, a man looks over a colourful tie that has been draped over a wrapped present. Across from him a woman looks at a display of hats and beside her a dump wears a long dark coat. Above them hangs a wrist watch. The camera pans left to right following other customers through the shop passing a couple sitting at a table enjoying afternoon tea.

Customers ride an esculator to an upper level past a large poster advertising ‘Toy Fair’. On a bandstand, Captain Flack conducts the Trumpton fire brigade as they perform for a crowd standing around them. In the background can be seen a number of life-sized toys including a pair of roller-skates, a doll and a teddy bear.

The film ends with Santa Clause standing on the Fenwick letters beside Captain Snort, Windy Miller and two young boy wrapped in a scarf. They all wave as snow falls across the scene.